My concerns started when a female University of Minnesota Medical School graduate and a practicing physician pointed out a U of M billboard across the street from Children’s Hospital in St. Paul. It proclaims, “Our graduates become your doctors.” One doctor is pictured: a white male.

There’s nothing wrong with showing a white man, university graduate and doctor. But that billboard easily also could have shown several university graduates-doctors, male and female, representing different races and communities.

I showed a picture of the billboard to Lee-Ann Stephens, 2006 Minnesota Teacher of the Year who works in the St. Louis Park Public Schools. Stephens is African-American. She responded: “This billboard is sending an unintentional message that doctors are white males; therefore, there is no need for anyone other than a white male to apply to the U of M Medical School. Although that may not be the intent, it’s the impact that really matters. This is steeped in structural racism. St. Paul is a diverse community and this mono-racial billboard doesn’t honor the beauty of that diversity at all.”

Stephens explained that she showed the billboard to one of her black female students who wants to be a doctor. “She said that it tells her that she can’t be a doctor. This young lady is earning her IB diploma, takes all AP and IB classes, has a 3.93 (GPA) and is heavily involved in the school’s community. That’s the message that this accomplished teen is receiving,” Stephens said.

Thein, who is white, wrote: “The U of M is sending the wrong message to our students, their parents and the larger community. I know the U of M is focusing on recruiting people of color to their programs. … A picture is worth a million words.”

In an email statement to me, Ann Aronson, the University’s chief marketing officer, wrote, “The Medical School’s current advertising proudly reflects the diverse and inclusive medical school community.” University officials sent me four more pictures that are being used on billboards, light rail and digital ads. Two include women. All four contain pictures of people of color – all Asian-American.

I asked university officials several times why American Indian, African-American, or Hispanic or Latino doctors weren’t depicted. They did not respond by this column’s deadline.

Louis Porter II, executive director of the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage, did respond. He wrote: “By now, it should be obvious to those doing marketing and advertising that diversity and inclusion are essential to their work. Yet, a casual look at many ads still reveals way too many pictures that fail to reflect the increasing numbers of people of color and indigenous people now populating this state and entering virtually all fields. For many years, research has shown the dangers of subtle messages that put limits on people and what they can achieve. Intentionality is critical.”

Sia Her, executive director of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, explained: “Too often, we see young people of color not even considering pursuing these professional careers because of too few examples of people, particularly women, of color achieving success around them. As institutions, the responsibility is ours to encourage young people of color to pursue these STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers until there comes such a time that they are surrounded by physicians, scientists and engineers that reflect their own experiences.”

One positive step toward this time is a University of Minnesota mentorship program involving high school students and some of the university’s medical students. (More information about that is here: http://bit.ly/2oNXzTr.) And Naomi McDonald, Medical School communications director, and who is African-American, told me that future billboards will be more diverse.

I hope this happens. I think U of M officials also should ask a diverse group of high school educators and students to help them plan outreach campaigns. As Thein said, “We expect better.”

Joe Nathan, formerly a Minnesota public school teacher, administrator and PTA president, is director of the Center for School Change. Reactions are welcome at joe@centerforschoolchange.org.